Dopamine Addiction and the Seven of Swords: A call to steal back our attention
This week I’ve been doing a deep dive into the world of Dopamine. What it is, how it shapes motivation and survival, and how companies exploit that science to keep us hooked. Essentially, dopamine is the neurotransmitter that drives motivation, helping us seek food, water, shelter, and sex–the basics for survival. Under chronic stress (and who isn’t stressed these days, with you know, *waves hands at everything*), dopamine levels drop, leaving us less motivated to care for ourselves and meet those basic needs. In an effort to restore balance, our body then craves quick “hits” of scrolling, sugar, shopping, a drink, anything that gives us a surge of dopamine. The problem is that dopamine operates in short bursts that create fleeting pleasure that leaves us wanting more.
The Journey is the Medicine
Sacred plant medicines were never meant to be reduced to protocols and prescriptions. They are teachers, not treatments. And if we try to fit them into the same broken system they’re meant to heal, we’ll lose their magic–and miss the point.
For thousands of years, traditional and indigenous cultures have approached psychedelic plant medicines with reverence–tending to the plants, giving offerings in gratitude, honoring them and recognizing them as spiritual teachers. They have listened to the teachings of the plants and fungi and have created ceremony and sacred space to commune with these sacred teachers. The true medicine lies in these ceremonies and sacred spaces where we build a relationship with the spirit of the medicines. In listening, learning, and approaching these sacred teachers with respect and humility, and thanking them for sharing their wisdom with us. The journey is the point. The discomfort, the hallucinations, they are the point. They are also our teachers. They show us where we are imbalanced, out of alignment, where we are holding onto or carrying things that are ready to be released.
Let’s do healing differently…
…This is why I am doing things differently. The modern healthcare system in the U.S. is broken, and I refuse to contribute to that system. Instead, I choose to be the change I want to see—to build a practice that I would seek help from and would encourage my loved ones to visit also. To put into practice the wisdom I have accumulated through fourteen years of my own soul searching and healing journey along with my training and experience as a trauma therapist, folk herbalist, tarot reader, nature-based spiritual practitioner, historian, and student of curanderismo. To honor these lineages, to gather the wisdom and viewpoints and experiences from each in my handwoven basket and build a practice that blends traditional wisdom with modern knowledge, and to share it with you. This is my devotion to Mother Nature, and to humanity, in my own personal way. So that I may be of service to you.